Offered through KET EncycloMedia, Discovery Education is a comprehensive online multimedia learning service offering downloadable/streamable video, still photos and clip art, quizzes and lesson plans, and many related resources. Discovery Education Streaming, which includes 63 hours of KET-produced video on Kentucky subjects, has already been used successfully in most Kentucky school districts. All materials—including the Discovery library of more than 50,000 video clips—have been indexed to Kentucky academic standards.

In partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, KET has negotiated and paid a statewide license fee that allows all Kentucky public schools and preservice programs to use this wealth of teaching and learning resources free of charge.

The Kentucky Department of Education has purchased "local host" software that allows video and audio clips to be stored and indexed locally. School districts can build electronic libraries of Discovery Education resources within their own buildings. Schools can then access those resources via high-speed local networks—even without real-time access to the Internet. Statewide implementation of local hosting means that Kentucky teachers and students "will have much more reliability and quality when it comes to accessing electronic audio and video material," explains David Couch, KDE associate commissioner for education technology.

What are some ways that my students and I can use Discovery Education resources?

Teachers and students can use Discovery Education in a variety of ways: to introduce a unit, to visualize an unfamiliar place or concept, to supplement independent or small-group learning, or to create dynamic presentations. Since teachers can log on to the service at school or home, it's easy to plan lessons using Discovery Education resources.

Public schools: Your district technology coordinator or chief information officer will assign you a pass code. Once you have the pass code, go to www.ket.org/encyclomedia to create a user account.

Private, parochial, home, and other non-public schools: Because the Discovery Education contract was funded with state dollars, it covers Kentucky public schools and preservice teachers only. To find out how you can take advantage of this wealth of instructional resources, please contact Holly Fischer at Discovery Education, (704) 557-2441. She will be happy to work with you.

Discovery Education is a user-friendly product that includes a 30-minute online tutorial. For more in-depth training, you can participate in interactive WebX online seminars. When you complete one of these free hour-long training sessions, you will receive a certificate of completion that can be used to obtain professional development credit.

KET's regional education consultants are also eager to help you get started using Discovery Education through one-on-one consultations or free in-school workshops. Email your consultant from our education contacts page, or call KET at (800) 432-0951.

What special Discovery Education training is offered to Kentucky teachers and preservice teachers?

"Using Discovery Education," an online workshop from e-Learning Kentucky, helps you find your way around Discovery Education. Explore its rich instructional materials and teacher's tools by designing a unit of study that can be used during or after the workshop. For more information or to register, visit the e-Learning Kentucky/KYVS website.

Contact your KET Education Consultant to set up an in-school workshop on incorporating Discovery Education into your instruction.

Workshops include:

"KET EncycloMedia for the Techno-Timid"

a hands-on overview of Discovery Education

KET Teachers' Domain, and KET ED On Demand

"Student Integration of KET EncycloMedia" which shows teachers how to target the literacy skills and learning styles of 21st-century students

KET EncycloMedia 2.0 which shows how to embed technology tools from Discovery Education and other sources into instruction